Decorated article



- Jun 6; 1939. L. J. MOST DECORATED AfiTIcLE Filed Feb. 18, 1937 FIG. I.

Y- wms1 2,161,549

UNlTED s'rATEs PATENT oerce mu" 1. Most, Arlington, N. 1., asslgnor to Metals & Controls Corporation, Attleboro, Mass, a corporation of Massachusetts Application February 18, 1937, Serial No. 126,379.

* 1 Claim. (Cl. 4L-3 4) This invention relates to decorated articles, Similar processes, such as the filling of designs and with regard to certain more specific features, impressed or indented in outline in the article to to metallic articles, such as bracelets, wrist watch be, decorated, with paints, enamels, and the like, straps, watch cases, necklaces, and the like, decoare also used, but these are generally considered 5 rated with inlays of plastic material. .inferior to a real inlay, being less satisfactory 5 Among the several objects of the invention may in appearance and being subject to cracking and be noted the provision of decorated articles of chipping in usage. the class described wherein the decorative plastic According to the present invention, inlays may material is flrmly*, interlocked with the article be made with relative simplicity, and when so acitself, passing therethrough and being headed complished, are attractive in appearance and 10 over, in the manner 01' a rivet; the provision of a strongly attached to the article so decorated.

decorated article of the class describedwherein In the accompanying drawing, the various figthe decorations are not likely to come loose and ures illustrate the steps of the present invention fall from the article; and the provision of decoas applied .to the decoration of a wrist watch rated articles of the class described, which are strap of the link type, which may be said to be 15 relatively simple and economical to produce. typical of the articles which can be decorated, Other objects will be in part obvious and in part but which is not to be considered in a limiting pointed out hereinafter. 1 sense.

The invention accordingly comprises the ele Numeral I in Fig. 1 indicates link stock in go ments and combinations of elements, and feastrip form, such as is commonly produced by tures of structure, which .will be exemplified in rolling'operations and used in the manufacture the articles hereinafter described, and the scope of straps and bracelets. The stock I comprises of the application of which will be indicated in relatively thick edge regions 3 and a relatively the following claim. thin central portion 5. In the accompanying drawing, in which is 11- Fig. 2 shows the same stock after it has been 25 lustrated one of the various possible embodiments provided with openings 1 of the size and shape of the invention, a desired forthe inlaying process, such openings Fig. 1 is a perspective view of stock to be decoin this case being made at spaced intervals by rated; stamping and perforating dies in a series of re- Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the stock of Fig. petitive steps. While the particular openings 1 3o 1 after a first operation thereon; shown in Fig. 2 are in the form of a circle, it will Fig. 3 is a cross section of the stock of- Fig. 2, be-apparent that openings of any other shapes showing a sheet of plastic material in position can be made in the same manner, by' using for a molding operation; stamping and perforating dies having the outline 3 Fig. 4' is a perspective view of a pressure molddesired. ing device; y Each opening I is provided, on the face of 5 is a cross 586151011 Similar F stock I, with a concentric recess's, the purpose'o lustrating the stock after it has been subjected which will be explained later. $0. p tion'in the apparatus of F ga When the stock I has been so prepared, a layer 40 Fig. 6 is a plan view of a wrist watch band of plastic material, as indicated at numeral ll 40 embodying decorated stock made in accordance in Fig. 3 is placed along the under side of the with the present invention. stock I. The assembly of plastic material ll Similar reference characters indicate correand perforated stock I is then placed in a suitsponding parts throughout the several views of able pressure device such'as that shown in Fig. 4.

the-drawing. Reierring'to Fig. 4, numeral l3 indicates the 45 In the past, it has been possible to carry out lower half of the pressure device, and is provided decorating work of the character comprehended with recesses l5 of suitable shape to receive the/ by the present invention only by the complicated regions 3 on the under side of the assembly shown processes of marquetry, the plastic decorations in Fig. 3. In carrying out the invention with being cemented in place after having been articles of shape other than that shown in the 50 shaped to closely fit routings made to receive several figures of the drawing ila" is understood them. In addition to being difficult, this method that the pressure device of Fig. 4 is made to coris not wholly satisfactory in that the cement respond with whatever shape of article or article often loosens and the decorative pieces fall out stock may be employed. Passage I! in Fig. 4 is of theirsockets and are lost. a lengthwise opening in the. lower half l3 of u pressure device H to permit the introduction oisteam, water, or similar fluids for the purpose of heating and cooling the pressure device as desired, connections |9 to passage I! being provided for this purpose,

The pressure device being shown in part in the drawing, valves for supplying and controlling heating agents have been omitted. These, however, are. quite well known in use and application in the plastic molding art, which is akin to the present invention, and their illustration in detail is therefore felt to be unnecessary.

In Fig. 4, numeral 2| indicates the upper half of the pressure device corresponding to lower half l3, which upper half if provided with edge grooves 23, likewise of a shape to fit theparticular stock to be processed. Passage 25 in half 2| is also a lengthwise opening permitting. the circulation of suitable agents for the heating and cooling of upper half 2|, and, like passage i1 inthe lower half I3, is provided wtih connections 21. The half 2| is also shown but in part, valves as required being provided in the usual manner for the supply and control of the agents used.

After the assembly of Fig. 3 has been placed in position -in the lower half It of the pressure device, the upper half 2| is positioned on top of the assembly, and the whole is put into a suitable press capable of forcing the lower and upper halves together. Steam or other suitable heating means is then permitted to flow. through openings I1 and 25, causing lower and upper halves l3 and 2| to become heated, and to transmit some of this heat to the assembly of Fig. 3 in place between them. This causes softening of the plastic material, so that when the lower and upper halves l3 and 2| are forced together in the press, pressure is exerted on softened material H which forces it'to flow into openings 1 of stock i. The heating agent circulating in passages I1 and 25 is then shut off and in its place, by means of suitably arranged valves, a cooling agent is directed, which chills the lower and upper halves l3 and 2| of the pressure device and causes th inlaid plastic to harden.

' position now taken by plastic material completely filling in openings 1. It will be observed Referring to Fig. 5, numeral 29 indicates the that some of plastic material It still remains in place on the bottom side of stock serving to lock itself therewith on this side. On the other side, recess 9, which is now filled with plastic ma terial, serves as a look, so that inlaid plastic material 29 is tightly held in place without the use of a separate adhesive.

When stock'l is thus inlaid with plastic material, it is, in the present instance which depicts a wrist watch strap, cut into individual pieces 2| (Fig. 6) for the forming of the several links, and

further processed according to methods usually employed in their manufacture. Fig. 6 shows the appearance of a completed link strap for a wrist watch-made up of a series of joined members of which numerals 3| indicate the inlaid pieces 7 'made from stock I, numerals 33 indicate the attachnients to join with the watch case, and numeral indicates the buckle for opening and closing the strap when attached to a watch.

There are many variations which can be made in the process and article as described and shown herein without departing from the scope of the invention. f .71 For example, design elements of plastic material .can be given on the top or exposed side a figuration in relief suchas a rosette or similar ;embellishmentr-by suitably engraving at properly spaced intervals the upper half 2 of themes-- sure device in the negative. Or, instead of using recess 9 as a top locking-means, upper half 2| of the pressure device can be provided with prop" erly shaped recesses spaced to register with the cut out sections of stock I, so that when the plastic material flows under heat and pressure, it will head up over the top surface of the stock The'present invention applies to any plastic material that is initially in a coherent form, and which becomes soft or moldable under the application of heat pressure. Suitable plastic materials, for example, comprise Celluloid plastics, phenolic condensation resinoids, and the like.

In view of the above, it will be seen that the several objects of the invention are achieved and other advantageous results attained.

As many changes could be made in carrying out the above constructions without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawing shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in 9. limiting sense. i

I claim:

A' decorated article comprising a metallic base having an opening therethrough, and plastic material extending through s'aid opening and provided with a head on each side of the said base, whereby said plastic material is locked in position on said base, said base being provided with a recess aligned with said opening on one side of said base, the head of plastic material on that side of the base being located entirely in the said recess, and presenting a surface substantially continuous with the surface of that side of the base, the head of plastic material on the other side of the base presenting a surface parallel to that of said other side of the base.

'LUCIFER J. Mosr.

law" 

